YOU ARE SPECIAL

THIS EVENING I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO CONVEY A SIMPLE, BUT POWERFUL TRUTH. IT IS ONLY THREE WORDS LONG, AND YET IT CHANGES YOUR LIFE THE FIRST TIME YOU HEAR IT. GROWING UP AS A KID I THOUGHT EVERYONE LIVED JUST LIKE ME WITH TWO PARENTS WHO LOVED THEM AND FREQUENTLY SPOKE THOSE THREE WORDS TO THEM

STARTING COLLEGE, HOWEVER, I STARTED MEETING KIDS AT SHILOH WHO EITHER NEVER KNEW THEIR PARENTS OR WERE COMPLETELY IGNORED BY THEIR PARENTS, NEVER ONCE HEARING THOSE THREE IMPORTANT WORDS. AS TIME PASSED I CONTINUED MEETING MORE AND MORE KIDS WHO HAD TO FIGHT FOR ANY SCRAP OF LOVE THEY COULD FIND. SOON I REALIZED THAT RATHER THAN BEING THE NORM, MY LIFE HAD BEEN THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE.

NOW I KNOW SOME OF YOU, OTHERS I AM MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME. SOME OF YOU I KNOW HAVE HEARD THESE WORDS COUNTLESS TIMES FROM YOUR PARENTS. BUT MY LIFE EXPERIENCES HAVE TAUGHT ME NOT TO ASSUME THAT ALL CHILDREN HAVE HEARD THESE WORDS. THE THREE WORDS I WANT YOU TO HEAR TONIGHT ARE: YOU ARE SPECIAL.

AND WHEN I SAY SPECIAL, I DON’T MEAN CUTE OR ADORABLE. I MEAN UNIQUE, PRICELESS, ONE OF A KIND. NOTHING ABOUT YOU SPEAKS OF MISTAKE OR DEFECT, BUT SHOUTS EVERYTHING OF BEING INTENTIONAL AND BEAUTIFUL. UNLIKE ZOO ANIMALS THAT LOOK VERY MUCH THE SAME, YOU ARE UNIQUE IN EVERY WAY IMAGINABLE.

EVERY STRAND OF YOUR DNA IS COMPLETELY ORIGINAL. DID YOU KNOW THAT EVEN IDENTICAL TWINS HAVE DIFFERENT FINGERPRINTS. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYONE LIKE YOU BEFORE AND THERE WILL BE NONE AFTER YOU. NOT ONLY ARE YOU SPECIAL, YOU ARE VALUED MORE THAN YOU CAN COMPREHEND. AND I WOULD LIKE TO PROVE IT WITH JUST A FEW VERSES: EPH 2:3-5, MATT 10:28-31, AND ISA 49:14-16.

I WANT TO CLOSE WITH A STORY I HEARD MY BROTHER TELL MANY YEARS AGO NOW. IT WAS ABOUT A EXPERIENCE AT SHILOH THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE FOREVER. I HAVE TO BEGIN BY TELLING YOU THAT MY BROTHER HAD A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT HIS WHOLE LIFE. NOW I HAD ALREADY BEEN WORKING AT SHILOH FOR TWO SUMMERS BEFORE I ASKED MY BROTHER TO JOIN ME FOR HIS FIRST SUMMER.

AS MY BROTHER TOLD IT, IT WAS THE FIRST DAY PICKING UP KIDS ON A BIG YELLOW BUS AND TAKE THEM TO CAMP. JUST BEFORE THE BUS TOOK OFF, MY BROTHER INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO A LITTLE BOY SAYING, “HI, MY NAME IS MARCUS.” THE BOY RESPONDED, “YOU TALK FUNNY.”

AS IN THE PAST, MY BROTHER GOT REAL SELF-CONSCIOUS AND QUIET SAYING, “YEAH I’VE HAD A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT SINCE I WAS A KID.” WHAT HAPPENED NEXT CAN ONLY BE EXPLAINED BY THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST. BECAUSE THIS LITTLE BOY LOOKED AT MY BROTHER AND SAID, “WELL, GOD MADE YOU SPECIAL.”

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, MY BROTHER BEGAN TO FEEL THE BURDEN HE CARRIED HIS WHOLE LIFE BEGIN TO LIFT. LIKE THE BLIND AND THE LAME WHO CAME TO JESUS, MY BROTHER WAS ABLE TO SEE HIS TRUE SELF FOR THE FIRST TIME AND BEGAN WALKING WITH A CONFIDENCE AS HE PURSUED GOD’S WILL.

NOW I’M NOT SURE WHAT BURDENS EACH OF YOU CARRY THIS WEEK. BUT IT IS MY HOPE AND PRAYER THAT YOU ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LIFE THOSE BURDENS WHEN YOU COME INTO THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE SPECIAL.

 

 

CJE